Northwestern Middle School Demonstration Edible Forest Garden
Back in December Dr. John Bartlett, science teacher at NMS contacted me about designing an outdoor classroom where students could learn hands on about Permaculture. After meeting we easily decided on creating an Edible Forest Garden, where students could learn about how to grow food at school sustainably. Dr. Bartlett has worked tirelessly over the past several months to get approval for the garden and raise money to make the project happen.
It's been incredibly exciting and rewarding to help make this happen. I believe that we need teachers like John and gardens like these all across the country to feed and teach the next generation. If you are a teacher and want to bring an Edible Forest Garden to your school, or just want to learn more about what this is, please contact me. With every square foot of empty lawn we reclaim and fill with useful plants, we're also inspiring a student to get outside and interact with their environment.
It's been incredibly exciting and rewarding to help make this happen. I believe that we need teachers like John and gardens like these all across the country to feed and teach the next generation. If you are a teacher and want to bring an Edible Forest Garden to your school, or just want to learn more about what this is, please contact me. With every square foot of empty lawn we reclaim and fill with useful plants, we're also inspiring a student to get outside and interact with their environment.
Garden Site: Before
This is it! A week from today, on Saturday, May 21st 2011, we're going to begin transforming this empty space into an Edible Eden. Although the changes will be incremental, the very fact that we'll be turning this barren moonscape into an ecosystem that will provide food, herbs, medicine, and so much more is absolutely thrilling! Just imagine, in another few years there will be persimmons, pawpaws, blueberries, blackberries, rosemary, sunflowers, and everything one needs to rejuvenate the body and soul.
Garden Site: After first Planting Day (May 21st)
Yesterday we broke ground at Northwestern Middle School on the Demonstration Edible Forest Garden and made a huge leap in Permaculture Education in our nation! A total of about 15 volunteers came out for the day, including 5 students. All of the students had a great time and were really excited to learn how to plant. Next week they'll get to show their classmates their accomplishment and give a tour to the principle as well.
The first stage consisted of 4 raised beds that we made by digging up the tough, tough red Georgia clay and mixing in heaps of compost. We also mixed in 5 gal of worm castings to add some beneficial microorganisms and extra nutrients. In the process of digging up the raised beds we created swales. A swale is essentially a water diversion trench dug on contour to catch water and hold it temporarily so it has time to percolate underground. We filled all of the swales with woodchips to hold moisture and keep water from flooding the paths.
The first stage consisted of 4 raised beds that we made by digging up the tough, tough red Georgia clay and mixing in heaps of compost. We also mixed in 5 gal of worm castings to add some beneficial microorganisms and extra nutrients. In the process of digging up the raised beds we created swales. A swale is essentially a water diversion trench dug on contour to catch water and hold it temporarily so it has time to percolate underground. We filled all of the swales with woodchips to hold moisture and keep water from flooding the paths.
The Plants!
By the end of the day we'd planted the following. All plants minus the peaches and lambsquarter were provided by either myself or Hungry Gnome Gardenscapes in Athens, GA:
~2 Belle of Georgia Peaches
~2 Elderberry
~2 Rabbiteye Blueberry
~2 Thornless Blackberries
~2 Wine Berries
~1 Brown Turkey Fig
~2 Apple Serviceberries
~2 Rugosa Roses
~2 Golden Currants
~2 Pawpaws
~4 Comfrey
~2 Chocolate Mint
~1 Malabar Spinach
~2 Barberry
~Amaranth
~Irises
~Keith Johnson's Magenta Lambsquarter
~1 Flowering Quince
~2 Bloody Sorrel
~2 Sunchokes
~2 Belle of Georgia Peaches
~2 Elderberry
~2 Rabbiteye Blueberry
~2 Thornless Blackberries
~2 Wine Berries
~1 Brown Turkey Fig
~2 Apple Serviceberries
~2 Rugosa Roses
~2 Golden Currants
~2 Pawpaws
~4 Comfrey
~2 Chocolate Mint
~1 Malabar Spinach
~2 Barberry
~Amaranth
~Irises
~Keith Johnson's Magenta Lambsquarter
~1 Flowering Quince
~2 Bloody Sorrel
~2 Sunchokes
Future Development
In line with the plan above, we completed the majority of the Yellow Zone yesterday with a few changes. Mainly, we had to eliminate the bed of shade-tolerant plants adjacent to the gymnasium because of conditions set by the Fulton County School Board. Also, I decided to add a mix of shrubs, herbs, and groundcovers to fill the space and increase the overall Forest Garden's diversity.
There are still 2 more main stages of planting that will take place in the following semesters: the Brown Zone of mostly canopy trees (pecans, persimmons, etc), and Blue Zone of low-growing herbs, annuals, and shurbs. My hope is that through all of the advice and guidance I've provided in this opening stage Dr. Bartlett will have enough knowledge about Permaculture and Forest Gardening, as well as support from enthusiastic parents, students, and teachers, to continue on their own. Regardless of my future level of involvement in the project, I'm very excited to see it off to a good start, and I look forward to hearing news of how it develops over the coming seasons. I'll be updating this page with photos and information on the Garden's progress throughout the upcoming months and years as I receive word from Dr. Bartlett.
I'd like to thank Dr. Bartlett for taking the iniative to bring this project to Northwestern Middle School, and all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make a wonderful planting day on short notice!
There are still 2 more main stages of planting that will take place in the following semesters: the Brown Zone of mostly canopy trees (pecans, persimmons, etc), and Blue Zone of low-growing herbs, annuals, and shurbs. My hope is that through all of the advice and guidance I've provided in this opening stage Dr. Bartlett will have enough knowledge about Permaculture and Forest Gardening, as well as support from enthusiastic parents, students, and teachers, to continue on their own. Regardless of my future level of involvement in the project, I'm very excited to see it off to a good start, and I look forward to hearing news of how it develops over the coming seasons. I'll be updating this page with photos and information on the Garden's progress throughout the upcoming months and years as I receive word from Dr. Bartlett.
I'd like to thank Dr. Bartlett for taking the iniative to bring this project to Northwestern Middle School, and all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make a wonderful planting day on short notice!
